40,000 marooned in Bhola

An inundated madrassah in Kalikirti in Bhola. PHOTO: STAR

About six lakh people have been affected in seven upazilas of the district.

Floodwater is entering the town as the town protection embankment breached in Kalikirti and Nasir Majhi in Shibpur union.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

Water Development Board(WDB) engineer Shahidul Islam in Bhola, when contacted, admitted that about ten meters of the embankment have been washed away by water from the mighty Meghna.

Several lakh acres of cropland with newly transplanted Aman seedlings inside the embankment have reeled under water. An unspecified number of houses along with some schools and madrassahs have been damaged, local people said.

Many people have taken shelter on high lands and embankments, they said.

They alleged that they urged the WDB officials and the administration to take precautionary steps to protect the embankment but they did not do anything.

Kalikirt, Kalagwa and Nabipur villages are the worst affected.

Betel leaf cultivators in the villages are the worst sufferers as the beds have gone under water.

Bhola Deputy Commissioner Md Abdul Mannan said he has asked WDB officials to take immediate steps to control inflow of water. The Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer has been sent to the affected areas to assess the damage and relief needed, he said.